Ontario Premier Doug Ford receives second shot of AstraZeneca vaccine

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TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford received his second dose of AstraZeneca on Thursday afternoon at a pharmacy in Etobicoke.

The premier thanked front-line health-care workers as he received his second jab to applause from people out of view of the camera.

“I want to thank all the front-line health-care workers. I want to thank all the Ontarians that came out to get vaccinated,” he said after getting the shot. “If you haven’t received your first vaccination, please, please go out and get your vaccination and if you have yours, please go out and get your second dose as soon as possible.”

Ford received his first dose on April 9.

About a week ago, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended that anyone who received a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine receive a second dose of an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, due to rare instances of blood clots associated with the shot.

The recommendation sparked confusion and frustration among Ontario residents who received AstraZeneca, despite the fact that health experts and NACI have maintained that anyone who receives both doses will still receive “good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization.”

Ontario stopped administering first doses of AstraZeneca in early May “out of an abundance of caution” due to an increase in reports of rare blood clots. At the time, officials said the risk of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) associated with the vaccine in Ontario is one in 60,000

The remaining supply of the vaccine was reserved for second doses. Officials have said there is much less risk of VITT following a second shot.

Health Minister Christine Elliott told CP24 on Thursday that while her first dose was AstraZeneca, she received Pfizer as her second shot a few days ago.

“I did have AstraZeneca first and then I spoke with my doctor about what was best for me and my medical condition, so then I made a decision on my second dose and I got Pfizer as my second dose,” she said.